Good user experience and well written copy sometimes just aren’t enough to get the sale. Even after explaining all the benefits you have to offer, there are many that curiously don’t decide to buy. This could be because they just aren’t interested, but it could also be that they’re chronic procrastinators.

When you insert urgency in your writing, it targets those who tend toward procrastination. These visitors think so much about the purchase they talk themselves right out of it. No matter how valuable your product or service might be to them, these prospects remain indecisive despite your best efforts.

Creating a sense of urgency cuts through the mental chatter and gets right to the heart of indecision. Taking advantage of the natural impulsivity/impulsiveness of visitors can be a helpful strategy to increase sales and loyalty, if used properly.

Why It Works

Indecisive people need extra incentive. These prospects already know they want what you’re offering, but hesitate out of fear. The worry that spending money will end up a waste of resources or time (or both) suspends the decision indefinitely. Paralyzed by the thought of making the wrong choice, visitors leave and eventually forget about the decision altogether.

Urgency strikes at that fear by forcing the decision. Afraid of missing out, the concern of wasting time on inaction becomes more important. Without the time to wait and forget, the impending loss motivates action rather than procrastination.

Helping, Not Pushing

Habitual procrastinators are no strangers to lost opportunities. They know this, and typically aren’t happy about it. When adding urgency to your pitch, you let them know directly that this is an opportunity they may later regret delaying.

This might seem manipulative, but remember your product or service should already be designed to benefit customers. The goal is to help them in some way, and your writing should adequately reflect the value you are offering. For the interested procrastinator, a limited offer becomes an opportunity to overcome their indecision.

Methods of Urgency

There are many tactics to insert urgency into your writing. The most common methods are verbal haste and limitation. Both can be used together directly or indirectly.

Verbal haste inspires action by evoking a sense of urgency within the reader:

Deadline

Now

Limited

Instant

Hurry

Expires

Fast

Etc.

Limitation is used to create urgency through scarcity. Limiting time or the amount available are common examples. Visuals like a clock or supply counter are simple ways of implementing limitation.

Things To Avoid

Building trust is an important aspect of sales many often ignore. The product or service must be worth the cost to consumers. Using urgency to promote mediocrity (or worse!) might initially get sales, but will disappoint customers in the long run.

Shady practices affect overall customer conversion, too. Programing a countdown to always set today as the deadline, or even just excessive hype, has a tendency to repel otherwise interested buyers.

Final Thoughts

The takeaway is to be honest and genuine in your marketing campaigns. Using urgency can be a powerful addition to an ongoing campaign. It also allows for a substantial increase in sales for a short time. Remember to boost your efforts at promoting the sales page during the campaign to get the most out of the opportunity. Always remember that urgency complements, rather than replaces, well written copy.

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International SEO consultant is my title...but who cares about those? What I love is creating strategies that include marketing, social, SEO, relevance, ruffling feathers and starting revolutions. What you read on this blog will hopefully inspire you to continue the conversation. When I'm not multitasking around Level343 I sneak away and go sailing. I'm crazy about pistachios, and of course Nutella.